Rotary registering device



Jan. 9, 1934. J. c. THOMPSON ROTARY REGI STERING DEVICE Filed May 22,1931 [HI/60775): 'James C. 77701111 Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This inventionrelates to registering or tallying devices automaticallyoperable to register a series of similar operations, and has as an ob-'ject the provision of such a device arranged to ,5 be actuated by theweight of a measureor container and operable upon removal of theactuating weight to automatically hold the tallying dial inregisteredposition while the dial-actuating ,rnechanism is repositioned forsubsequent l regi at o s- ,A further objectof the invention is toprovide an improved registering or tallying device particularl r an fo ng o a d u e with liquid-dispensing faucets and operable by and toregister the number of liquid containers suspended from said faucets toreceive the flow .thQ BfIQ A further object of the invention is toprovide an improved construction and arrangement of stepby:step,dial-actuating mechanism in a re i terin 9 tall n d :Afurther object ofthe invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement ofthe elements of a weight-operable, automatic registering or tallyingdevice, whereby a positive and efficient mechanism is produced which isrelatively inexpensive of manufacture and installation and durable andlong-lived in use.

In the distribution of certain liquids, notably oils, gasolines,kerosenes and the like, tank wagons are extensively employed, whichWagons are ,arran dlw th a plura i f p rat tanks each of which isprovided with a discharge pipe having a faucet at its discharge end, andit is the practice to draw off liquids from the tanks into containers ofuniform capacity, a fivegallon size being almost universally used, andthus measure the liquid dispensed from a given tank by tallying thenumber of containers which have been filled therefrom. In extendedoperations it is very easy to miscount orlose track of the number ofvcontainers filled from a tank unless some positive, automatic device isemployed for the registering, and it is the prime object of thisinvention to provide such a device particularly arranged for mounting onand use with the faucets of tank wagons, though it is obvious that theinvention may be readily adapted to other mountings and arranged forregistering in units other than those hereinafter set forth.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims andillustrated by the accompanying drawing, in

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved registering device mountedon a faucet inposition for practical use, dotted lines indicating theball of a container and-the position assumed by the trip mechanism underthe weight of said do container. Figure 2 is a front elevationof the 1'showing of Figure 1, the dotted line showing of the latter beingomitted. Figure 3 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, taken on theindicated line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is across as section on thesame scale as and taken on the indicated line 44 of Figure 3. Figure 5is a cross section on the same scale as and taken on the indicated line55 of Figure 3.

In the construction of the improved device as 10 shown, the numerallOdesignates a circular plate which forms the base of the device, whichplate, as well as the other elements of the device, is formed of anysuitable metal in Whatever manner may prove expedient;v One surface ofthe-plate 10 is plane save for a cylindrical, central boss 11, sectionsof an annular flange 12 and certain recesses, while the opposite surfaceof said plate is provided with lugs and bosses 13 adapted to fit aboutand engage the inequalities of one side of so a faucet shownconventionally at14, so that said plate 10 maybe fitted to and solidlyheld against said faucet to position the assembled device in of othertypes and hence modification of the construction and arrangement of thelugs and bosses 13 may be required, hence it is to be understood thatthe illustrated arrangement of said latter elements is but typical andin no sense limitative.

A simple and efiicientmeans of holding the plate 10 solidly in positionagainst the faucet 14 is shown as comprising a pair of bolts 15extending perpendicularly through said plate on opposite sides of thecentral boss 11 with their heads received in recesses 16 formed in theplane surface of said plate, said bolts extending in straddling relationwith the faucet 14 and engaging at their outer ends through a clamp bar1'7 bearing against the side of the faucet opposite that engaged by theplate 10, the bolts 15 being either threaded through said clamp bar orprovided with nuts 18 which bear against said bar and provide means forclamping the assembly firmly to the faucet. Pivoted on and for freerotation about the boss 11 and retained thereon by means of a washer 19and screw 20, a registering dial or tally wheel 21 having a smoothlycylindrical periphery and a diameter such as to be received within thesections of the annular flange 12 is mounted with one side closelyadjacent the plane surface of the plate 10, the sections of the fiange12 extending partially across and concealing a portion of the peripheralsurface of said wheel. The sections of the fiange 12 are three in numberand the upper and center ones are spaced apart to provide a sight orwindow wherethrough the periphery of the wheel 21 may be readilyobserved, the center and lower ones of the said sections being spacedmore widely apart to define the marginal limits of a shallow recess 22formed in the plane surface of the plate 10 and extending from about theboss 11 through the outer margin of said plate. A trip bar 23 isreceived in the recess 22 and pivoted at its inner end to the boss 11for free arcuate travel within the limits of said recess and between therecessed portion of the plate 10 and the side of the wheel 21, said bar23 extending well beyond the margin of the plate 10 to terminate in afinger adapted to be engaged by the bail 25 of a container suspendedfrom the hook 26 of the faucet 14. In Figure 1 the finger 27 of the tripbar 23 is shown as having the form of an upwardly-curved hook, which isa preferred arrangement in that the hook is more positively engaged bythe bail 25 than is the beveled strike 27 illustrated as a terminationfor the trip bar in Figure 3, though either form of trip bar isacceptable and in some installations the form shown in Figure 3 willpresent advantages over that shown in Figure 1. The inner side of thetally wheel 21 is provided with a relatively large, shallow recess onthe cylindrical wall of which are formed ratchet teeth 28, said teethbeing spaced a distance substantially equal to the opening provided bythe space between the upper and central sections of the flange 12. Apawl 29 is mounted for limited actuation about a pin 30 fixed to andextending within the recess of the tally wheel from the trip bar 23,said pawl being so positioned as to engage one of the ratchet teeth 28and rotate said tally wheel when the trip bar is moved downwardly fromthe full line position of Figures 1 and 3. On the opposite side of theboss 11 from the pawl 29, a pin 31 rises from the plane surface of theplate 10 within the recess of the tally wheel to provide a pivotalmounting for a yoked lever 32, one end of which lever pivotally supportsa roller 33 in position to engage against the ratchet teeth 28, theother end of said lever extending beyond the pin 31 and beinginterconnected by means of a retractile coil spring 34 with a lug formedon the pivoted end of the pawl 29, said spring thus functioning in athree-fold manner to hold the trip bar 23 in elevated position, the pawl29 against the ratchet teeth and the roller 33 likewise against saidteeth, it being the function of the roller 33 to position the tallywheel when the pawl 29 is inoperative and prevent accidentaldisplacement of said wheel. To arrange the spring 34 for most efficientfunctioning and to prevent wear between said spring and other elementsof the assembly, a pin 35 rising adjacent the boss 11 from the plate 10between the pawl 29 and lever 32 supports a roller 36 about which saidspring is passed, said roller thus being positioned to rotate about itsaxis as the said spring extends or contracts during operation of thedevice and prevent rubbing of the spring against any of the fixedelements of the device. The cylindrical periphery of the tally wheel 21is divided into sections corresponding in number to the number ofratchet teeth 28, and each of said sections is suitably marked, inrotation, to

indicate the number of times the tally has operated, or the number ofunits removed in the containers, the indicia shown in Figure 2 beingarranged in multiples of five, which gives a direct reading of gallonsdispensed when a five-gallon measure is used.

In the practical operation of the device, the elements being assembled,arranged and mounted as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the tally wheelis set to zero indication prior to withdrawal of any liquid through thefaucet, which setting is readily accomplished by rotating said tallywheel in a clockwise direction, the pawl 29 and roller 33 ratchetingfreely over the teeth 28 against the tension of the spring 34. With thetally wheel set, the container to be filled is suspended from thefaucet, the bail of the container automatically engaging the trip bar 23and depressing the latter, thus moving the tally wheel the distance ofone tooth or to the first indication after the zero. When the containerhas been filled and removed from the faucet, the spring 34 returns thetrip bar to its upper position, ready for repetition of the cycle justdescribed, the roller 33 holding the tally wheel in place as the pawl 29moves to its new position.

Since modifications and changes in the specific form, construction andarrangement of the elements shown and described may be had withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, I wish to be understood asbeing limited solely by the scope of the appended claims rather than bythe illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention- 1. A tally device comprising a fixed baseelement, a wheel rotatably carried by said base element, indiciauniformly spaced circumferentially of said wheel, means on said baseelement coopcrating with said wheel to expose but one set of indicia ata time, a trip bar pivotally mounted on and arranged for limited arcuatetravel relative to said base element, ratchet teeth internally andcircumferentially of said wheel, a pawl pivotally carried by said tripbar in operative relation with said ratchet teeth, means carried by saidbase and engaging said teeth to limit retrograde travel of said wheel,and a single spring engaging between said pawl and said limiting meansto hold both the latter in engagement with said teeth and the trip baradjacent one limit of its arcuate travel.

2. A tally device comprising a fixed base element, a wheel rotatablycarried by said base element, indicia uniformly spaced circumferentiallyof said wheel, a trip bar pivotally mounted on and arranged for limitedarcuate travel relative to said base element, a cylindrical recess inthe side of said wheel adjacent said base element, ratchet teethcircumferentially of said recess, a pawl pivotally carried by said tripbar in operative relation with said teeth, a lever pivotally mounted onsaid base within said recess, a roller mounted for free rotation in oneend of said lever and arranged for rolling contact with said teeth and aretractile coil spring interconnecting said lever and pawl to hold bothsaid latter elements against said ratchet teeth and said trip baradjacent one limit of its range of travel.

3. In a tally device having a fixed base element and an indicia-bearingwheel pivotally mounted for free rotation on said base, a cylindricalrecess in the side of said wheel adjacent said base, ratchet teethcircumferentially of said recess, a trip bar pivotally mounted on andarranged for limited arcuate travel relative to said base, a pawlpivotally mounted on said trip bar in operative relation with saidratchet teeth, a lever pivotally mounted on said base within saidrecess, a roller carried for free rotation in one end of said lever andarranged for rolling contact with said teeth, a retractile coil springinterconnecting said roller and pawl to hold said elements in operativerelation with said ratchet teeth and said trip bar adjacent one limit ofits arcuate travel, and an anti-friction roller carried by said base andbearing against said spring, whereby the direction of said spring isaltered and friction between said spring and other elements isminimized.

4. In a device of the character described, a fixed JAMES C. THOMPSON.

